U.S. Sanctions Turkish Officials, White House Says

The White House is demanding that Turkey release Pastor Andrew Brunson, after the American was detained in mass arrests following a failed coup in 2016.

By NTK Staff | 08.01.2018 @3:49pm

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Wednesday that the Treasury Department placed financial sanctions on two high-ranking Turkish government officials, and the Trump administration demanded that Turkey release American Pastor Andrew Brunson from custody.

“We’ve seen no evidence that Pastor Brunson has done anything wrong, and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust detention by the government of Turkey,” Sanders said.

The press secretary added that President Trump directed the Treasury Department to sanction Turkish Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül and Turkish Minister of the Interior Süleyman Soylu for their roles in the detention.

Both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence threatened to impose sanctions on the country last week if Turkey did not release Brunson from his current house arrest.